Arrested
by forest.beyond.the.fence
Summary: When Katniss and Peeta are arrested, they have to do community service. But what they didn't expect was to become so close, so quickly. Changes POV a lot. Modern day au. Rated M for later chapters. I do not own the Hunger Games.
1. The First Chaper

**Katniss POV:**

"Gale, I really don't want to go. No one there likes me and I'd rather stay home!" I say as I run down the stairs.

"Just one night Kat, we can have a few drinks, hang out a bit" he says running after me. I slump down on the couch in defeat.

"Fine!"

"Good girl, go and start getting ready then, okay?"

God I hate it when he acts like this. I scowl at him and go upstairs to get dressed. I walk into my room and sit on my bed. I really don't want to go to this party. First of all its Glimmer's. She's the head cheerleader and she hates me. Her boyfriend Cato has always had a thing for me though. Secondly, I hate parties. I hate the people and the loud music and the constant smell of vomit. I would much rather be in the woods with my bow. Third, I'm only seventeen. I'm pretty sure everyone else that will be there is older than me. I was moved up a year when I was in 3rd grade, so I've always been the youngest. The only other person I know in my grade that's in the same age as me is Caera. She moved here from Australia and she's really smart. She was moved into my class in 9th grade. I could go on about reasons on why I shouldn't go tonight but I told Gale I would so there's no point. I get up off my bed and walk towards my wardrobe. I pull out a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and put them on. I do my hair in its usual braid and go down stairs to Gale.

As I walk into the lounge room I'm surprised to see Madge standing there chatting with Gale.

"I'm ready" I announce as I walk into the room. Madge is a lovely girl. She's about the same height as me and her blonde hair is always in curls down her back. She is wearing a black dress the ties up around her neck and flows straight down to her ankles. She turns around to look at me and as she sees me her eyes open wide.

"Honey, I love you, but I'm not going with you looking like that" she says to me. I can't help but smile when she says it. Not because she wants me to change but that she cares so much about how I dress. I find it a bit funny. She walks over to me and looks me up and down. "Nope, this won't do." I let out a small giggle as she grabs my wrist and pulls me back up to my room. When we get there she sits me on my bed and starts rummaging through my clothes. "Why don't you own any dresses!?"

"They're uncomfortable and… girly" I say. She seems so flustered about all of this.

"We're going to have to go to my house." She says as she grabs my hand and takes me with her.

"What about this one?" she asks me as I sit on her bed bored out of my mind. I don't even bother looking at the dress.

"No" I say to her as I run my fingers through her soft fluffy bed sheets. Her whole room is filled with pinks and purples. She has butterflies stuck to the walls and a chandelier hanging above her bed.

"Perfect!" I hear her say as she pulls me out of my thoughts. "Go and try this on!" I look up and see her holding a red dress that is plain but has a strip of material wrapping around the waist. I take the dress and walk towards her bathroom.

Madge is the Mayors daughter so her house is huge. Especially compared to mine.

Since my father died my mother hasn't been able to work. My sister, Prim, and I went from having two incomes coming into the house to none. My mother was a nurse. I would have gone out and gotten a job straight away but I was only 12 when it happened. No one would hire a twelve year old. So that's when I started hunting. I kept my family from starvation.

I walk out of the bathroom and back into Madge's room. It looks as though she's gotten her make up kit out. Great. As I come into her view, I smile spreads across her face. "I am a miracle worker!" she exclaims. "Come sit down".

I sit there as she puts various kinds of liquids and powders on my face and twirls my hair into curls. "Done" she says to me with a grin. I am not looking forward to seeing myself. I get up out of my chair and walk towards her full length mirror. I take in who I've become in the last 20 minutes. My hair is bouncing with curls that come to my bust, my eyes are smokey black and the red dress hugs to my curves. I am amazed at how well Madge has managed to bring out the silver in my eyes. "Just so you know we're meeting up with Delly and a few others before we go." She says to me.

**Peeta POV**

As Delly and I drive to the party she tells me last minute. "Madge is meeting up with us at the diner." I just nod my head. I don't really want to go to this party, but Delly insisted. She said that it was my birthday in a week and because I didn't want to do anything this could kind of be my party. That and she wants me to get a girlfriend. I don't want a girlfriend. Well I do but not just anyone. Katniss Everdeen is the girl I want. I've had the biggest crush on her since... well… since forever I guess. But she doesn't even know I exist.

A few years ago just after her father died, her mom was forced to leave her job. They had no money. I had to find some way to help her. It was pouring down rain and I could see how thin she'd gotten. I got beaten pretty badly for what I did, but it was worth it.

My thoughts were stopped when the car came to a halt. I hear Delly say to me "We're here, the girls are inside" I get out of the car and follow Delly into the diner. She walks over to the booth were Madge is sitting. I sit next to Delly and think to myself 'I thought Delly said girls. As in more than one' but just let it go. The girls order a few drinks and talk about things that I don't hear because I'm zoned out.

I wish someone entertaining was here. After what seems like hours but according to the clock above the duke box, has only been about 5 minutes I start to wonder if I left whether or not they would notice. I look around for my exits and figure out my get away plan. When I turn around I see two silver eyes staring at me. My heart skips a beat as I realise who it is standing across the room. Katniss Everdeen.

**Katniss POV**

As I walk out of the bathroom, I look for the booth were Madge is. I glance over and see a blonde haired boy looking around the room. I stand there just looking at him for a while, trying to figure out where I know him. I see him around school all the time but I can't place where I know him from. Suddenly his blue eyes lock on mine and I look at the ground. I walk over to the table and sit across from him. I don't look at him once. I'm so embarrassed that he caught me staring at him.

As soon as we get to the party I look over to Madge. "I'm going to go find Gale" I say to her as I walk off. I find Gale pretty fast and he gets me a drink. We wonder around talking to various people that Gale knows. I don't care about any of them. As I look around the room I can see nearly every football player I know. Cato, the quarterback, is talking to Glimmer. Marvel is with Clove, I don't know why they're hanging out, they're brother and sister. I can see Thresh in the far corner making out with Caera. To be honest I didn't even know they knew each other. As I continue to scan the room I catch a pair of bright blue eyes on me. I quickly look away. Why was he watching me? Probably thinking about how I was staring at him earlier.

It's almost midnight when I hear sirens. Shit. I hope that they aren't on their way here. I don't know how many minors are here but I know I'm one of them. People start running all over the place. I cling to Gale's arm and my heart begins to beat faster and faster. Most people have cleared the house by the time the police walk in. Gale said it would look more suspicious if we ran. What would he know, he's 18! Slowly the police circle the room. One officer stops directly in front of me.

"How old are you?" he says to me as he puts his face uncomfortably close to mine. I swallow hard and try to act natural. I'm used to breaking the law. This time seems different though.

"18" I say to him with confidence. At least I hope it sounded like it. He stands there looking at me for a moment as if he's trying to decide something.

"Got any ID?" he asks me. Shit. No. I stand there looking at him silently. "That's what I thought. What's your name?"

"Katniss Everdeen" I say quietly.

"Katniss Everdeen, you are under arrest for the use of alcohol while being a minor." Shit. This is my second arrest this year.


	2. The Second Chapter

**Peeta POV**

I've been sitting here for an hour. Apparently I wasn't the only one arrested but this other person is taking so much longer in the interview room than I did. How am I going to tell my mom? I am going to get the shit beaten out of me when I get home.

After sitting in an interview room by myself for an hour and a half an officer walks in with the other person that was arrested. He's talking to them but I can't hear what he's saying. He comes in and sits down in front of me. I turn my head to see Katniss sit down in the chair next to me. She was the other person that was arrested?

"My name is Officer Abernathy. You can call me Haymitch. I've done what I can for both of you and you've got community service for six weeks. I fought especially hard for you Miss Everdeen, considering it's your second arrest in three months. You're lucky I like you. Your community service will commence in one week today. Monday to Saturday. Your school has already assigned your guide the homework you need to complete. I've spoken to her already. Her name is Effie Trinket. You are expected to be at the town hall at 8am next Saturday. Tardiness will be punished. I will be there myself on the first day to make sure that you fit in okay. You will also be expected to come see me once a week."

I look over to Katniss and see her staring at the floor. I don't know if she's going to say anything so I reply for us both. "Thank you Haymitch" I say to him. He gives us his card as he walks out.

"Call me if you have any trouble" he says as he shuts the door. I've just been put on community service for six weeks and all I can think about is that fact that I'm in a room alone with Katniss.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" I ask her. She just looks at me. She doesn't say anything before she gets out of her chair and walks out the door. "I'll take that as a no" I say even though no one's around. I hesitate before I get up. I really don't want to go home.

The next week goes by pretty fast. I got a lot of people looking at me since I have a black eye. I would too. Gets arrested on a Saturday night and comes to school on the following Monday with a black eye.

Before I know it, I'm standing on the town hall stairs at 7:45. Effie is already here. She came and spoke to me about our plan for the coming week. She said that we'll be out in the woods collecting trash for three weeks. She also said that Katniss and I are to remain together at all times. I think I'll enjoy this community service thing.

I see Katniss walk up to Effie and me. She's got jeans and a black T-shirt on. Her hair is done up in its usual braid. She looks amazing. I like her better like this. Not with all the makeup and pretty dresses. Effie informs Katniss about what we'll be doing and then we're taken to the edge of the woods to start.

"I'll be waiting here at 5 o'clock. Don't be late" Effie tells us.

**Katniss POV**

Great. Last time I was doing community service I only had two weeks of it. And Gale was with me so it wasn't so bad. They don't actually check to see if you've picked any trash up so I'd rather spend this time hunting.

I take Peeta into the woods with me. Lucky for him I know my way around in here pretty well. I take him straight to the lake that my father used to take me to. I show him the little shack that sits just on the edge and tell him to do whatever.

"I'll be back in about an hour. Do whatever you want. But if you could start a fire that would be awesome." It's not cold but he starts the fire anyway. I don't think he knows I'm bringing him back some lunch that we need to cook. We share a rabbit in silence.

The next week is a blur. Hunting every day. My family is pretty well fed though. Peeta started bringing painting supplies with him slowly so that Effie wouldn't notice. He spends his days painting the beautiful scenery. I didn't know he could paint. We still don't talk much. We spend the days apart and have mostly silent lunches. His birthday was a few days ago. That's literally everything I know about him. I think it's time we change that. We'll be spending all of our time together anyway for the next 5 weeks. I still see Gale on Sundays.

As I walk up to the shack with a beaver in my hand, I see that Peeta has painted the trees. You can see birds flying through the branches of a willow tree and the wind pushing leaves to the floor. It's amazing how he does that.

"I have lunch" I say to him. He looks at me with a smile on his face. We cook the beaver and start eating. "So, we'll be spending the next 5 weeks together, we may as well get to know each other" I say. He seems relieved that I've said this.

"Good idea." He says to me. "What's your favourite colour?" he asks. I'm surprised by the fact that he asked such a simple question.

"Green" I tell him. "What's yours?"

"Orange" he says. "Not bright orange, more muted, like a sunset."

We spend the next two weeks getting to know each other. He's actually one of the nicest people I've ever met. I guess now I know why everyone likes him so much. I don't know why he doesn't have a girlfriend. I thought he was with Delly until he corrected me. When he told me, I was surprised to find myself happy about it.

**Peeta POV**

I'm finally getting to know Katniss. This was great for me. I've spent practically all of my community service time painting. That has to stop now though. Effie has given us so much homework to do. At least Katniss and I work on it together. She's so smart. Everything about her amazes me. The more I've gotten to know her, the more I think I'm in love with her. I have to tell her. But I'm scared I'll ruin the friendship we've just made.

As Katniss and I are walking down to the lake I start to feel water droplets fall. Great. We start jogging down to the lake to avoid being caught in the worst of it. We manage to get there just before it starts pissing down.

"I guess I'm not hunting today then" Katniss says with a laugh as she looks out the window.

This is our last day in the woods. From now on Effie said we'll be working with other people. I don't want to work with other people. I like being with Katniss. I love watching her soft golden brown hair slowly fall out of its braid throughout the day. I love looking at her body. Her waist is smaller than her hips by a few inches and her legs are long and lean. But most of all I love seeing her face when she laughs. I'd never seen her laugh until about 2 weeks ago. She doesn't laugh at school.

The shack is one room. It has a door, a window and a fire place. Katniss told me her dad used to take her here when she was younger. As much as I'd hate to admit it, today is the perfect day to tell Katniss how I feel.

"Do you want to play a game?" she asks me with a cheeky smile. I look at her questioningly. "Truth or dare" she says to me. I can't see any harm in it I guess. This will give me more time to work up the courage to tell her I'm in love with her. We lie down on our backs with our heads half a meter apart. We pretty much just play truth the whole time. Neither of us ever chose dare. It was fun, until she asked me who I liked.

"What?" I said to her. Shit, how was I meant to answer that? I was not ready for this.

"Answer the question" she said to me.

"I can't" I say to her. She is going to hate me.

"C'mon"

"No!" she's just looking at me. I have no idea what I'm meant to say. "I can't tell you."

"I bet it's….." she stops for a minute to think. "Foxface" she says finally with a grin on her face.

"You mean Elysia?"

"Oh my god, you know her name! You love her!" Katniss sits up on her elbows and throws a twig at me.

"No I don't" I say to her calmly.

"You so do! Don't worry lover boy, I won't tell _her_."

I don't like the way she said her. As if she's going to tell everyone _but_ her. Oh boy. I can't tell her that I love her now. She'll think I'm lying.

**Katniss POV**

"It's nearly 5" he says to me. We gather our things and head back to where we meet Effie. It's not Peeta's fault but I can't help feel disappointed that he likes Elysia. I mean, she's a nice girl and she's super smart, but, I can't help being jealous. I never had a crush on Peeta. In fact I've never had a crush on anyone really. But I've always felt a connection with him. He saved not just my life, but my family's life too. After we're dismissed Peeta asks me "Do you want me to walk you home?" it's the same question he asked me when we were arrested. I just smile and nod.

We walk to my house, which isn't that far away and when we get there I ask him, "Do you want to come in? Prim is out with Rory and mom is probably asleep" he nods. I take him up to my room and close the door. "Do you want something dry to put on? I have some of Gale's clothes here I think"

"Sure" he says as he walks around my room.

I walk to my wardrobe and pull out a dry pair of shorts and a T-shirt for myself and a dry pair of jeans for Peeta. "I can't find a shirt." I say to him acting disappointed, but in reality I'm happy Gale hasn't left a shirt here. I get to see Peeta shirtless.

"That's okay" he says. I go to my bathroom to get changed into my dry clothes. When I walk back into my bedroom I see that Peeta has already changed. His back is facing me and I can't help but look at his muscles. As he turns around I see his well-defined abs come into view. I honestly can't believe that I have a shirtless Peeta in my bedroom.


	3. The Third Chapter

**Peeta POV**

I can't believe everything that's happened with me and Katniss. We've actually become friends. Good friends. Now I am standing half naked in her bedroom. I turn around and see here looking at my chest. It brings a smile to my lips for a second before I realise she's probably just thinking about where she has a shirt for me to use. Katniss comes over and sits on her bed.

"You can sit down if you want." She says as she pulls her blankets up over her legs. She's put on a loose shirt and shorts. I can admit that I've never actually seen this much of her skin. Her legs are surprisingly flawless. She's not really a girly girl so I expected her legs to me covered in scars and bruises. But they aren't. I sit on the end of her bed and look around her room. It's small and the walls are painted in simple shades of grey and white. Her bed is covered in black bed sheets which stand out a lot compared to her blank walls. The hardwood floor is buffed and scratched but it matches the chest of draws on the opposite side of the room. She has one window. It sits right above the head of her single bed.

"Are you a virgin?" she asks me after a few minutes of silence. I feel the blood rush to my cheeks. Why would she ask me this? I didn't know we were this close. After a minutes hesitation I decide to tell her anyway.

"Yes." I say to her. "Are you?"

"Yeah. Who am I going to have sex with?" she says with a laugh.

"Gale" I say without thinking. The blood rushes straight back up to my cheeks as I realise what I've said. Luckily for me, I don't think she heard. I'm surprised she's a virgin to be honest.

"I should probably go" I say to her. "It's getting dark" I hate to leave but if I want to survive the wrath of my mother, I'd better be home before curfew. I get up and change into my damp clothes before leaving.

"I'll walk you out" she tells me as she gets out of her bed. We walk down to her front door. "We go back to school in 3 weeks" she says as we reach the porch.

"Wow that went fast." I say. It really did. We're half way through our community service. In that time, Katniss and I have gotten a hell of a lot closer than we were.

**Katniss POV**

It's Monday morning and I'm on my way to the town hall. I haven't seen Peeta since Saturday night when we were at my house. When I open the town hall doors, I'm surprised to see so many people. Effie finds me straight away and tells me that these are the people I'll be working with for the next 3 weeks. As soon as Peeta gets here, she'll introduce us to everyone. When I see that it's already 8:05 and Peeta's still not here, I start to get worried. He's never late. Effie is starting to lose patience and just as she's about to go mad, Peeta walks into the room. He's got blue jeans on and a grey hoodie that's covering his face. Out from the darkness underneath his hood I see his eyes lock onto mine from across the room. I can practically feel my insides melting. He walks over to Effie and me and just stands there, looking down. I try to get him to look up at me but he doesn't and before I know it, Effie is walking us around the room to greet the others.

"Katniss, Peeta, this is Finnick Odair." Effie says to us. I look away from Peeta and see Finnick's green eyes looking questioningly at me.

"Pleasure" he says to me with a smile. I can tell just by looking at him that he's a ladies man. He has a charm about him and I can see he's not used to it failing when it comes to women. I don't say anything and eventually Effie escorts us off to meet the others. Over the course of 20 minutes, Peeta and I are introduced to a number of people. Johanna, arrested for assault, Wiress, just let out of the metal ward and Beetee, on parole after starting a fire using electricity cables. Effie introduced us to others as well but they all seem far too… angry for my liking. After we've gone around the room and met everyone, it's time to start working.

We are arranged into smaller groups and sent off places. Peeta and I are in a group with Finnick, Johanna, Wiress and Beetee. I'm happy that I wasn't put with Cashmere and Gloss. They're brother and sister who used their 'charms' to rob a bank. They only got out of prison a few months ago. They've been paired with Brutus and Enobaria. Brutus got into a bar brawl and nearly killed a man and Enobaria was involved with a gang who's signature look is pointed teeth. All four of them are creepy. They should not have been let out of prison. You should be able to see just by looking at them that they are dangerous. Once we've all paired up, Effie and Mags come over to talk to us. Mags is the guide for Finnick. He was jailed for a while but let out only if he had a permanent guide. Come to think of it, he's the only one in the room who I don't know what they did to get here.

"The six of you only have 3 weeks left. That is why we have put you all together. For the remainder of the time you will be gardening public property. Lunch will be provided every day from 12 – 1. You will start today with the town hall gardens." Effie told us. Seriously? Gardening?

**Peeta POV**

We're escorted outside and handed the appropriate gardening tools. We started later this morning. It's almost 10 by the time we get out there and start working.

"So, heard from Foxface recently?" Katniss says to me out of the blue with obvious mocking in her voice. When I don't reply she nudges my shoulder. "You okay?" she asks me.

"Fine" I say back to her. I don't need to burden her with my problems.

"Seriously Peeta, what happened? You haven't looked up from the hoodie all day. We can talk about it if you want." I know she's just trying to help but I really don't want to talk to _her _about this.

"I'm fine, really." I say trying to make it sound like I am fine. Without thinking I put my head up and look at her with a reassuring nod.

"Oh my god Peeta! What happened?" Shit, why did I look up?

"Nothing, I'm fine." I say hoping she didn't see my face.

"You are not fine! Why do you have a black eye and a busted lip!?" damn it. She saw my face.

"Just some stuff at home. Really we don't have to talk about it." I say. I just want to forget it ever happened. It doesn't look like that's going to happen anytime soon though. Katniss looks around to make sure the others are working before grabbing my hand and pulling me to the back of the hall.

"Spill" she said as soon as she let go of my hand. She folds her arms up in front of her chest. I sigh. I may as well tell her. She's not going to let this go.

"It's really not a big deal. Just my mom getting sick of me… again." I say the last word really quietly.

"Well what happened?" I can see the look of worry in her eyes.

"Just, someone ordered a few loaves of bread at the bakery and I didn't get them finished on time." It's true. But only half true. There is no way I am going to tell Katniss that I was late getting the bread done because I was at her house.

"That's it?" I can hear the disgust in her voice.

"That's it." I repeat. Before I have time to walk away, Katniss jumps up and pulls me into an embrace. At first I'm shocked and I don't hug back, but eventually I wrap my arms around her slim waist. Every part of my body is now starting to shake. I can feel her warmth radiating onto me. It feels like there is electrical sparks flying between us, hitting my body everywhere that is lucky enough to have her touch. I never want to let go.

**Katniss POV**

By the time lunch rolled around, I was pretty tired. Who'd have thought that pulling weeds out of the ground could be so… back breaking? I look over at Peeta and gesture for him to come inside with me. I feel horrible for him. I always knew his mother had beaten him. I could see when we were at school. He always seemed to have something bruised or broken. But that's not what I spent the last hour thinking about. Every time I tried to think of something to help the time go faster, all I could think about was the hug. I know it was only a hug, but, I wasn't really expecting it just as much as he wasn't. Knowing that he has to go home to that every day just got really overwhelming and before I knew it, my arms were wrapped around his neck. At first I thought I should let go. But when I felt his hands land on the small of my back, my sensations went into overdrive. I could feel his heart beating under his muscular chest, and I felt safe in his strong arms. Every time I breathed in, his sweet scent filled my head and threatened to make me dizzy. I was not expecting to feel like that.

As I walk into the hall, I see that there have been tables set out for the groups of people that had to stay here. I go straight over to the buffet table and serve myself up some stew. I make my way over to the table that Johanna is sitting at. I'm not sure how I feel about Johanna. She's impatient and rude but for some reason I feel like I should get to know her. I go over and take the seat next to her.

"Hey" she says to me, not bothering to look up.

"Hey" I reply. We sit in silence for a while before she looks around us to make sure no one's listening and starts talking.

"I bet you want to know why Finnick is in here, don't you?" I hadn't thought about the fact that I don't know why Finnick is in here since this morning. But now that she brings it up, I may as well find out. I am extremely curious. After letting out a sigh, she started talking. "Finnick and I have been friends for years. He shouldn't be in here. I would have told his guide to fuck off already if he didn't love her so much. She is lovely." She stopped only long enough to give a slight laugh. "When Finnick was 14, his parents were killed. He had no way to feed himself or anywhere to sleep. When he went to the orphanage they told him he was too old to join, however, he was useful to the owner. The owner, Cray, was a sick old man. He owned a brothel as well as the orphanage and if the children weren't adopted by the time they were 16, they would be forced to work in his brothel. Finnick was only young, but was already very good-looking." What Johanna is saying is starting to sink in. I couldn't have imagined both of my parents dying instead of my father. Although my mother was as good as dead. "Finnick was forced to lie about his age and work in the brothel. As reward, he would have shelter and food. When he was 21, he'd already been working in the brothel for a number of years. When Cray died, the brothel went bankrupt and everything was seized by police. Including Finnick. He only got out of prison about a year ago" Johanna looks down at her plate as if it happened to her. I could not wrap my head around what Johanna had told me. Or why she told me. The point is though is that essentially, Finnick has been a forced prostitute since he was 14 years old. That's the same age as Prim. Nothing will ever replace his childhood. I eat my stew and try to process what Johanna told me. Suddenly, I'm pulled out of thought by someone's hand on my shoulder. I turn around to see Peeta. His face is still hidden by his jacket but I can clearly see his blue eyes.

"Lunch is finished. Time to go back outside." He says to me. I think he can see I wasn't paying attention to anything.

**Peeta POV**

We only have a week left until we're back at school. In the two weeks that we've been with the others, we've had to scrub graffiti, garden, clean and cook. Working with the others has been good. I didn't think it would be but it was. I've learned so much about these people and why they are the way they are. Johanna is awesome, you know, once you get past the rude and obnoxious exterior. She's here because a man was threatening her with a knife, so she eventually pulled the knife away from him and used it to plunge the blade into his gut. It was purely self-defence but with no witnesses, there was no one to say she was innocent. So here she is. I still don't know why Finnick is here. Obviously if they wanted me to know, they would have told me. As the day finishes, I walk over to where Katniss is to ask if I should walk her home. When I turn the corner of the giant building I see her struggling to pull a weed from the dirt. I walk over to her and laugh slightly. "Need some help?" I ask her.

"Maybe" she says back. I can see she wishes she was stronger. I walk up behind her and place my hands on her wrists. The front of my body is flush with the back of hers. I push my head through the small bit of hair that has escaped from her braid so that I can see what I'm doing.

**Katniss POV**

I can feel Peeta's warm body against my back. If only he knew how distracting this was for me. With his head sitting on my left shoulder he whispers in my ear. "On the count of three, one" I try to say what comes out of my mouth next but it only comes out a whisper.

"Two" I can feel his breath rush passed my ear as he finishes the count and I have to bite my lip to stop the involuntary noises from escaping my mouth.

"Three" as soon as he says the word I can feel his body tense. His muscles that were previously hidden away are now pressing against my back. My whole body fills with goose bumps and he pulls the plant out of the ground. If I knew weeding was this fun, I would have been doing it for years. When he lets go of my wrists and takes a step back, I frown slightly. I didn't want him to let go. "So, you want me to walk you home?" he asks me. Of course I do. I nod my head in agreement and we start packing up.

After we're dismissed, we start walking towards my house. "So do you know why Finnick is here?" Peeta asks me as we turn onto my street.

"Yeah" I say to him. I can't believe that they haven't told him yet. I really don't want to betray Finnick's trust in me, and I definitely don't want to betray Johanna but I trust Peeta. I have gotten really close with Johanna recently. She's not much older than I am and we're very similar. She told me about Finnick in confidence and I know she intended for me to not tell anyone else. I know Peeta won't bring it up. And I know he won't mind, so I go ahead and tell him everything I know.

As my run down house comes into view, the conversation dulls down a bit. We have one week left and starting Monday, Finnick and I will be paired together to help run a charity shop, while Peeta and Johanna are paired to clean a mansion from head to toe. Today was my last day with Peeta. I don't know how we're going to go at school. It doesn't matter really. I have to stop thinking about him. Even if it were logical, there is no way I have a chance with him. He's popular and comes from the rich part of town. Every girl at school practically drools all over themselves every time he enters the room. It's surprising he got community service. Usually they get out of it pretty easily.

"Well I guess I'll see you at school" Peeta says as we walk up to my front door.

"Yeah. See you then" I say back to him. I walk inside and shut the door behind me. I walk straight up to the bathroom to have a shower before bed. As the steaming hot water runs over my naked body, the thoughts of Peeta come back to me. The way he helped me get the plant out. He didn't just move me out of the way and get it out himself, he wrapped me in his warm, muscular arms.

The next few days go by fast and before I know it, it's Wednesday. The middle of the week. It's the same as any other day until Effie shows up and tells me she urgently needs to speak with me. I look over at Finnick to see if he knows what's going on but by the look on his face I can see that he doesn't. I walk to where Effie is standing and she starts speaking. "Katniss, I'm sorry to tell you, but your mother has been admitted to the hospital."

**AN: So I'll upload more in a few days. I think this fic will probably have around 16,000 words when I'm done. The more you guys review, the faster I upload. SO REVIEW.**


	4. The Fourth Chapter

**Katniss POV**

"What!? Why?" I ask her. There is clear evidence of panic in my voice. It's been easy to see recently that my mother hasn't been doing too well. Prim has spent a lot of time at Gale's house with Rory.

"She made an attempt on her life this afternoon. She is going to need constant supervision in her state that I'm afraid you won't be able to give her. After an appointment with the doctors today, it has become clear that your mother is suffering from severe depression. She has been put on medication and given her own psychologist." After a long pause, she continues. "The hospital is strongly considering admitting her to the mental health ward. If they do decide to go ahead with this decision, Katniss, you and your sister will be evacuated from your current residence as neither of you are 18. Officer Abernathy has volunteered to help you find somewhere to live and sort you out. I'm truly sorry." I can tell she hated the fact that she had to tell me this. I have no idea what I am going to do. I walk back over to Finnick and he can clearly see the look on my face.

"What did she say?" he asks me with obvious worry in his voice. I trust Finnick. He's a great friend and I know that he'll understand my predicament. He's been forced out on the streets before. I tell him everything as I hold back tears. "Johanna and I live together in a four bedroom house. We bought it with my girlfriend Annie, before Annie and I got together. We had a spare bedroom but now we have two. If you buy your own food and clean up after yourself, you and your sister could move in if you want." Tears start sliding down my face at his offer. Not 5 minutes ago my life was torn apart. And he's just fixed it that easily. When I get home I am told over the phone that my mother has been admitted to the mental health ward and the rest of the week from 5pm onwards, is spent moving into Finnick, Annie and Johanna's house.

**Peeta POV**

It's been a few weeks since I started back at school. I love being back with my friends but I miss spending time with Katniss. As part of our school punishment, I had an interview with Principal Snow and vice principal Coin and I'm being forced to participate in an after school activity. It's stupid. They're horrible and no one likes them but if I want to go to college I better start behaving. I don't really have any skills except for my strength so I settled on wrestling. I didn't like it at first but I really enjoy it now. Occasionally I get glimpses of Katniss outside warming up. She must have chosen archery because he has a bow around her and a sheath of arrows. Gale is in it with her. Every time they're together I can see her laughing at everything he says. They touch too much and I'm really starting to believe that they are together. Today is no different. I can see them from out the window. Today's lesson is all theory so I was hoping the teacher didn't spot me. But of course, he did.

"Got an eye for an archer, Mellark?" he says to me to snap me out of my thoughts. I can't bring myself to say anything. "How about we go outside for five minutes to watch, huh? We've pretty much finished in here." I like Mr Flickerman. He can be a bit over the top sometimes but he's generally nice. Before I have time to decline his offer, everyone is already standing and walking out the door. Eventually I follow them out and stand in the field with them. I can clearly see Katniss from here. She's talking to Gale. Again. In front of them is an archery course that has been set up for them to practice on. There are ducks that come up off the ground and things that hang from trees. The aim is to shoot as many things as you can. I hear a buzzer go off and Katniss and Gale immediately pull arrows from their sheaths and send them flying. They hit every single thing that comes into view. When a dozen ducks come up off the ground I hear Katniss yell 'Geese!' to Gale and one by one they shoot the ducks down. I knew Katniss was good with a bow but I had no idea she was this good. When the buzzer sounds again they both relax. Everyone starts applauding them and I join in. I don't think one person here was expecting that. As the other boys in my wrestling team cheer and shout Katniss looks over at us with a smile. But as soon as she catches my eye, her smile fades away.

**Katniss POV**

The buzzer sounds again to tell Gale and me that the round is over and I can suddenly hear applause. I can see out of the corner of my eye the wrestling team was watching us. I look over to them with a smile on my face when I'm stopped by a pair of familiar blue eyes. I feel my smile leave my face as quickly as it appeared and my stomach drop. When did Peeta join wrestling? My cheeks are suddenly pink and I force myself to look away. I turn around to Gale and pull him away from the group. The next day is cold and wet. By the time archery comes around it's still raining and we are forced to stay inside. "Just because it's raining, doesn't mean that we can't work." Today we will be working on fitness. Jogging around the hall and working on core strength. My school is one of the only schools to have a uniform. We also have a sport uniform and I didn't bring mine. "Where's your uniform Katniss?" Cinna asks me. Cinna is my archery coach. He tells us to call him by his first name. He's by far my favourite teacher.

"It was raining, I didn't think I'd need it" I tell him.

"Come with me. The rest of you get changed and start warm up. The wresting team will also be using this space so don't use up too much room." The moment he said wrestling team my heart skipped a beat. I've avoided Peeta since we started school. It's horrible but I'm trying to convince myself that if I'm not with him my feelings will go away. It's been non successful so far. Cinna pulls me into his office and shuts the door. "Put these on. I'm sorry but they're the only thing I have in your size. I suppose it's punishment for forgetting your uniform." He hand me a pair of shorts that are so short you can see the bottom of my ass cheeks and a sports top that is 'apparently' acceptable but it's not much bigger than my bra. I really don't want to go out there dressed like this. Especially because Peeta will be out there. Just as I'm thinking of ways to maybe kill myself to avoid leaving the room, Cinna comes in. "How long have you been dressed? Get out here." He says and then leaves the room leaving the door wide open. I peer out of the door and see the wrestling team has gathered on the other side of the hall. I have to walk right passed them to get to Gale. I take a deep breath and start my walk, knowing Peeta is just a few steps away and will be watching me.


	5. The Fifth Chapter

**AN: The last chapter was really short and I haven't updated in a really long time, so I uploaded two chapters. Because I love you. **

**Peeta POV**

My class has gathered in its usual spot in the hall but because it's raining outside we have to share the space with other people. At first I don't recognise any of them but then I see Gale. Shit. I have to wrestle in front of the archery team. I look around the group but I can't find Katniss anywhere. I know she was here today. I saw here at lunch. Maybe she went home early. Just as I calm down a bit I hear my team start to cheer and wolf whistle. They start shouting things like 'Yeah baby' and 'Everdeen just got hot'. Wait. Everdeen?

_Oh god she's here. _

I look over in the direction and see Katniss walking towards Gale. My eyes widen as I take her in. Her shorts are barely covering her ass cheeks and she has no shirt on. She is literally not wearing anything but hot pants and a bra. I swallow and bite my lip as I watch her walk over to her group. I have never been more turned on in my life. I just wish that my fucking stupid team would stop calling out after her. I can see she hates it.

**Katniss POV**

I finally get over to Gale and I can see he can tell what I'm thinking. I feel so vulnerable in these clothes. I could hear the boys saying things like 'I'd fuck her so hard' and 'when did you get so good looking, sexy'. The thought makes my skin crawl. Gale stands up and I walk straight into his arms. He knows how to comfort me. "I agree with them, you look sexy as fuck" he says to me quietly. I'm surprised to find myself a bit repulsed by what Gale has said to me. He's my best friend, it is not okay to say stuff like that. I let it go though and I sit down to start stretching.

I do my usual stretches, hands to my feet, bridge etc. It's when I bend down with my legs straight and apart to put my hands on the floor that the wresting team starts up again. Fucking pigs. It's just stretching. I look over at them in disgust but only manage to catch Peeta's eye. I completely forgot he was a part of that group. The archery team does a few laps around the hall and then we get a break. Gale and I sit on the bleachers and I lie down with my head on his lap. I shut my eyes and when I'm almost asleep Gale starts talking. "I think baker boy is jealous." I'm guessing that by baker boy, he means Peeta.

"Yeah? And what is he jealous of?" I ask him. I don't think Peeta is jealous of anything.

"The fact that you're lying on my lap instead of his." Gale tells me.

"That's ridiculous." I say back. Peeta isn't jealous. I wish he was though.

"Is it?" Gale asks me. "Because he hasn't looked away from you for like 10 minutes now. He goes between looking at you to death staring me."

I lift my head off Gale's lap and look over to see Peeta looking right at me. I quickly look away and put my head back on Gale's lap. Just when I'm almost asleep again, Cinna comes up to Gale and me. "You two can get changed and go if you want." This is the best thing I've heard all day. After Gale and I change, I put my borrowed clothes back in Cinna's office and we head out the door. It's Friday afternoon and it's still raining so Gale offers to drive me home. Prim must have caught the bus home earlier. It's nearly five and she finishes at 2 on Fridays. Annie always makes sure Prim has something to eat when she gets home so I'm not worried.

The car ride is relatively quiet. It's not until we get close to my house that Gale says something. "So, you want to go out somewhere tomorrow? Not a date or anything, just for fun? We haven't in ages." It's true. Gale and I haven't hung out in so long.

"Yeah sure, I need to go job hunting so we can go to the shop. You can look at pretty girls or something." I say jokingly. He agrees. "You can stay the night if you want to. The rain is getting pretty heavy." I tell him. He's my best friend and I've shared a bed with him multiple times. I always shared a single bed with him, but now that I'm living here, I get to have a double bed, all to myself. He nods his head in agreement and we pull into my driveway. We go upstairs and have some dinner. We watch a bit of TV but then go to bed.

In the morning, I wake up and pull some clothes out of my draw and lay them on my bed. I decide on a black pair of skinny jeans and a plain black shirt. If I'm going to get a job, I need to look presentable. I jump on Gale's back and say in his ear "Get up". I leave him in my room to wake up while I go have a shower.

I turn the water on so that it's so hot it almost burns. I let the steaming water run through my hair and over my body. Showers are so relaxing. When I'm finished, I grab a white towel and wrap it around my body and walk to my room.

Gale is already up and on his phone. He looks up at me as I walking into the room. "Turn around while I get changed." I tell him. He's seen me practically naked before but I don't want it to be a common occurrence.

As I finish buttoning up my pants, Gale asks me, "Are you finished?"

"Almost" I tell him.

"Good" he says as he turns around. I only have my shirt to put on and as I grab it off the bed he snatches it away from me.

"Give it back" I say to him while I'm trying to be serious.

"I don't think I will" he says back to me.

"Don't you dare walk out that door Gale!" I say as he gets off the bed and walks towards my bedroom door. I follow him out. "Give it back!" my attempt at staying serious didn't go too well and I find myself laughing as I chase him down the hallway. As he runs into the living room ahead, he starts laughing. I continue to chase him and I can see him on the other side of the room with my shirt laughing. He walks closer to me and gestures that he'll give it back. I look him dead in the eye as I walk out into the living room. I can see Finnick on the sofa but I don't care. Gale reaches out the hand that is holding my shirt as if he's giving it to me. I look down at it before I go to take it. As my hand goes down to take it off him, he pulls it out of my grip and runs to the other side of the room laughing. I can't supress my giggles as I chase him. "You shit, give it back!" I say as I tackle him to the floor. I straddle his lap and retrieve my shirt. He continues to laugh and he looks over to the sofa where Finnick is sitting. I follow his eyes and see that Finnick isn't alone. I quickly pull my shirt over my head as my eyes lock onto the familiar blue eyes. "What the fuck?" I say as I get off Gale.

"Peeta's here for a visit" Finnick says awkwardly. My wet hair is still down and clinging to different parts of my body. I look over at Gale who is still laughing as he gets up. I punch him in the arm and he immediately stops laughing.

"Ow" he says to me as he rubs the spot near his shoulder. I walk passed him and back to my bedroom. Gale follows me. "Sorry Katniss, at first it was funny because you were getting annoyed, but when I saw baker boy, I couldn't help myself. I thought I'd give him a treat. The girl of his dreams, running around in a bra, her tits jiggling all over the place." He said the last sentence as if he were painting a picture.

"You're an asshole. He doesn't like me." I say back to him. "I know who he likes. Remember, I spent 5 weeks of my life getting to know that boy." I say as I brush my hair and braid it.

**Peeta POV**

I came over to Finnick's house because I haven't seen him in a while. I heard that Katniss and Prim had moved in with them and to be honest, that's half the reason I came over. After seeing Katniss yesterday in those gym clothes, I think that I am completely in love with her. Finnick and I were just sitting down talking when I heard Katniss' laugh. She called something out but I couldn't hear what she said. I looked over in the direction that it was coming from and saw Gale appear. He looked right at me and started laughing. He looked behind him before he ran to the other side of the room and looked down the hallway that he'd just appeared from. He continued laughing and slowly walked back to the hallway entrance. I saw Katniss immerge and noticed that she didn't have a shirt on. That's when I saw that Gale was holding a piece of black material in his hand. He almost let her grab it before he yanked it away and ran to the other side of the living room. "You shit, give it back!" Katniss said to him laughing as she tackled him to the ground. Her bra was little to no coverage on her boobs. I tried to look away but I couldn't. She straddled his lap and took her shirt off him. There is no way that they aren't dating. They were laughing the whole time and the way she was sitting on him. Katniss looked up from Gale and looked right at me. She pulled her shirt over her face as fast as she could and got up. She turned back to Gale who had just stood up but was still laughing. She punched him in the arm and walked back down the hall way. Gale soon followed and I heard him close her bedroom door.

"Did he stay the night?" I ask Finnick.

"Yeah." He says back to me. "I don't think they're together, Peet" He seemed to notice the way I looked at her. "Don't worry, I won't tell her how you feel"

"How do you know how I feel?" I ask him.

"You look at Katniss the same way I look at Annie." He says back to me.

I let out a small laugh and say "Yeah but Annie feels the same about you as you feel about her. Katniss is too interested in other things… like Gale" I say to him. He pats me on the back just as Katniss and Gale walk back out of the hallway. Katniss has applied a small amount of makeup and put her hair in a braid down her back.

"Where you two off to?" Finnick asks them happily.

"Job hunting" Katniss replies. I let out a little laugh. "What?" she asks me.

"You just finished community service. No one's going to hire you." I say to her.

"So did you." She tells me.

"Yes, but Katniss, I already have a job." I say back.

"Well, Haymitch said he'll help me." She informs me. She walks down the stairs and leaves.

Finnick and I have just opened a beer and put on the basketball when Katniss returns. Her hair is wet and her makeup is a bit smudged. She walks into the living room and sits down in the recliner. "How'd you go?" Finnick asks her.

"Well I got a job." She says with a smirk.

"Already?" he asks her.

"Yeah. I applied for all sorts of places. Gale left about midday to go fuck some blonde girl that had way too much makeup on. When I was nearly home I thought about this place I know. The owner is an old friend of my mom's. He said I can start whenever."

"What's the name of the place than?" he asks her.

She looks over at me and grins before she says, "Mellark's Bakery"

_Holy shit._


	6. The Sixth Chapter

**Katniss POV**

I got the job at the bakery yesterday. Mr Mellark told me that I could start today. He said he'd teach me how to make bread and cakes and pastries. He'd also teach me to run the front counter but apparently that only takes a few hours to learn. I didn't particularly want to work there. I'm trying to avoid Peeta. But I need a job so I'll have to try my hardest to ignore the feelings I have for him.

I put on some jeans and a shirt and head to the bakery around 9am. When I get there, Mr Mellark is already at the front counter getting everything together to start the day. "Katniss! Come in!" he says as I open the front door.

"Hi Mr Mellark" I say awkwardly. I tried my hardest to act natural but for some strange reason I'm nervous.

"Please, call me Sam." He says back noticing my nerves. I relax a bit as he walks out from behind the counter to give me a welcoming pat on the back. "You and Peeta will be working out the back today. He should teach you how to make a few things." I swallow hard at the thought. How am I meant to ignore Peeta when I have to work with him? As we walk out the back I can see Peeta covered in flour, kneading some dough. He looks over at us and gives me a smile. Every time I see his smile I want to die. It makes me warm inside and I can feel butterflies at war in my belly. "Peeta, do you mind showing Katniss a few things today?" Sam asks his son.

"Sure" Peeta replies. If I'm going to be forced to work with Peeta I may as well be nice to him. He is a lovely person after all. He doesn't deserve to be treated like shit. Which I have been since we started back at school. When Sam leaves the room to go back to the front counter, I walk over to Peeta.

"What you doing?" I ask him. He pulls his focus off his hands and looks at me with a half-smile. "Never mind, stupid question." I say laughing slightly. As he turns and pushes down on the dough in front of him, I can't help but notice the muscles in his arms. They tense and un-tense repeatedly as he works the dough to the right consistency. Small veins are visible as he uses his strength to work through the mixture.

The next few weeks go by pretty fast between school, archery and work. I've spent a lot more time with Peeta and I remembered why we got so close during community service. Today at work, I couldn't help but think Peeta was flirting with me. The whole day he had this smile that left me speechless. We laughed and talked and as the end of the day got closer we had a moment. It probably wasn't even a proper moment like they have in movies or anything. But I literally felt my body go weak. I was stirring a bowl of chocolate cake mix when he came up behind me. He put his hands on my hips and I felt sparks of electricity where his body met mine. He rested his head on my shoulder and whispered in my ear 'It's been stirred enough'. I put the bowl down in front of me and turned around so that the front of my body was flat against his. His fingers moved up my sides and down my arms when he intertwined his fingers with mine. His breath was heavy and his face was only an inch away from mine. His eyes were locked on mine and I wanted him to kiss me. Every part of me wanted that. Just as our lips were about to touch, his mother burst through the doors to tell me I had to leave. She does not like me at all and tells me to leave every day when she gets home. Peeta immediately pulled away and went back to what he was doing. I simply nodded and got my things and left. I had gotten so close to kissing Peeta. If only his mother hadn't interrupted. I've thought about this afternoon multiple times and I can't stop. I honestly think I'm in love with him.

I'm nearly asleep when I hear a faint tapping sound on my window. I get out of my warm bed and see a silhouette of a muscular boy. "Peeta?" I whisper loud enough for whoever it is to hear.

"Katniss, come down." He whispers back to me. I shut my window and put my dressing gown on. I quietly walk downstairs to the front door and unlock it. When I open the door I see Peeta look up at me. Now that the light is on his face I can see the fresh bruises on his face.

"Oh my god, Peeta! Come in." I grab his hand and pull him up to my bedroom.

As I shut my bedroom door behind me I turn to look at him. Before I get the chance to say anything he starts talking. "I'm fine. Mom just got mad after seeing me standing that close to you." Blood rushes to my cheeks at the thought of this afternoon. "I got kicked out for the night. I don't have anywhere to go so I came here. I'm sorry. I can leave if you want me to." He says as I sit down on my bed next to him.

"Don't be silly, you can stay here. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. Trust me."

We crawl into my bed and try to get some sleep. I lie there, thinking about the fact the Peeta is on the other side of my bed. A smile crosses my lips and butterflies fly around inside me. "I can't stop thinking about what happened this afternoon." He says to me unexpectedly. I roll over so that I'm facing him. "I'm sorry if I came on too hard, it's just…" he stops talking and smiles a little before he continues. "I really like you, Katniss." As soon as he said it a massive smile covered my face and my cheeks when bright pink. I can tell he's a bit embarrassed by his confession. Before I can stop the words from escaping my lips I blurt out what my mind is screaming.

"Same" I put my hand over my lips as if to put the words back. But I can't. I look up at Peeta's face and see him looking down on me with a huge smile. Everything that I thought had just gone wrong flies out of my mind and all I can think about is Peeta. About how happy he makes me. About how every time I see him I go weak at the knees and forget about whatever I'm doing. I think about how easily I can get lost in his big blue eyes. But mostly I think about how safe he makes me feel. How comfortable I am around him and how I want him to belong to me forever. He glides his finger up my neck, leaving a trail of goose bumps in their tracks, and places them on my cheek. My breathing gets heavier as he moves his warm body closer to mine and rests his forehead on mine. I close my eyes and feel his soft lips lightly brush mine. I open my eyes as he pulls his head away a few inches and look in his eyes. My hands go up to his chest and I grip his shirt in-between my fingers. I pull him in by his shirt and push my lips against his. I feel a warmth radiating from my core as I open my mouth. I release my grip on his shirt and put my hands around his neck as he rolls on top of me. My legs are wrapped around his waist and our tongues dancing around in each other's mouths. I find myself softly moaning as he grinds up against me. I pull my mouth away from his and move my lips up to the bruises on his face. One by one, I kiss every cut, graze, bruise and scar.

**Peeta POV**

As she kisses each imperfection on my face my body tingles. I move my face down and start kissing her neck. I feel her fingers run through my hair as I lick and suck on her flesh. I know this is wrong. She's with Gale. I can't bring myself to stop though. Katniss is perfect in every way. And I so desperately want her to be mine. I lift myself up off her so that I can see her face. "I can't." I tell her. A look of confusion wipes across her face. "You're with Gale." I say.

"I'm not with Gale!" she says back to me with a hint of a laugh. "Gale is my friend Peeta." I feel myself smile and I lean down to kiss Katniss again. The feeling of her lips on mine is the best feeling I have ever experienced. I can feel her smile into the kiss and I can't help but to join her. Instinctively, my mouth opens and I slide my tongue along her bottom lip. She moans and opens hers mouth for me. The feeling of her tongue in my mouth makes my head spin. She pulls me closer to her with her arms and her legs. I am so unbelievably turned on right now. I move my lips down her jaw line leaving a trail of kisses until I'm at her ear. I nibble on her ear and I hear her moan at my touch. "Make love to me" she whispers so quietly I almost didn't hear it. I swallow hard and look at her questioningly.

"What?" I say back out of breath. I heard what she said but I need to make sure it wasn't my mind playing tricks on me, telling me what I want to hear.

"Please?" she asks me. Katniss Everdeen just asked me to make love to her. To take her virginity. My heart skips a beat and I feel my smile growing. I nod my head in agreement and move my head down to press my lips against hers.


	7. The Seventh Chapter

**Peeta POV**

I can feel her tugging on my shirt and I sit up slightly and help her pull it off. I lie back down on top of Katniss and my fingers run down her sides to find the hem of her baggy shirt. I lift it up over her head, revealing her bare breasts to me. My hand glides over her breast and her hand rests on top of mine. She directs my hand back to her naked chest and instructs me on how to play with it. I do as she asks and she moans with pleasure. I roll her nipple in between my fingers as she tugs on the fly of my jeans. She pulls the zip down and pushes my pants down to my knees. I reach behind me and pull them the rest of the way off. Since Katniss isn't wearing any pants, we're both down to our underwear. I pull down my briefs and reveal myself to her. It's been a while since I got hard and I'm hoping it lasts long enough. I lean back down and start kissing her neck again while my fingers slide under her knickers. I sit up on my knees and pull them down her legs. She opens her legs and I can see everything. I lower myself until our lips collide again. I glide my hand from her breast, down her tummy until I find the spot I'm looking for. Right in between her legs. I rub my fingers up and down the slit until my middle finger makes contact with a spot that makes her moan. The sound is music to my ears. I take my hand away and she looks at me with a mixture of confusion and disappointment. She has no idea what I'm about to do. I kiss my way down her neck and find my way to her nipple. I suck one of them into my mouth and massage the other with my left hand. It's a lot like kneading dough. I can't help the smile that covers my face at the sounds she's making. I'm doing that to her. I've been waiting to do this to her since I hit puberty. I want more. I want to taste her and I can't wait any longer. My mouth moves down the rest of her body, leaving a trail of kisses. My lips connect with the side of her inner thigh and she moves her hips in anticipation. I look up at her face and lock eyes with her as my tongue slides over her. I see her eyes roll to the back of her head and her finger find their way to the roots of my hair. The taste of her is delicious. My mouth actually waters. I lick her again the same way but it's just not enough. I glide my tongue from her entrance to the top, where I find the bundle of nerves that makes her hips roll. I suck it into my mouth and flick my tongue around it. There is no silence in the room, I can't tell where her moans end and mine begin. Her hips are rocking back and forth and I can tell she wants more. I get one of my fingers and slip in inside of her. I'm rewarded with a breathless 'Peeta' that makes my dick twitch with anticipation. I add another finger and curl them so that I'm hitting a spot inside her that makes her arch her back. I can feel her tightening around my fingers and I look up to her face as she comes. Her eyes squeeze shut and her mouth hangs open. All while she's chanting a strained version of my name. When she comes down from her climax, she pulls my face up to hers by my hair and pushes her lips to mine. My chin is practically dripping with her juices but she doesn't seem to mind. Maybe it's because it's the taste of her. I'm marked now, as hers. Her tongue dances around in my mouth which causes my hips to involuntarily thrust into hers. Her hands lock in my hair and I pull my head away long enough to say, "Ready?" she nods her head and I reach down and guide myself to her entrance. I slowly push myself inside and I feel a thin bit of skin tear at the pressure. Katniss lets out a small cry of pain but insists that I keep going. I slide in deeper until I'm completely in.

As I gently glide myself in and out of her, she moans. I can't tell if they're real or fake because she seems to be in pain. I feel like I'm hurting her. She digs her short nails into my back and I can't help but grown in pleasure. With every thrust I feel myself getting closer and closer to finishing. We're both covered in sweat and I'm so close. When she whispers 'come for me, Peeta' it pushes me over the edge and I feel my release.

We're both out of breath and covered in sweat by the time I roll off her. I lie next to her and she cuddles up and rests her head on my bare chest. In the silence I whisper to her the one word I want her to hear. "Always". We fall asleep in this position and it's the best sleep I've had in years.

I get woken up by Katniss' alarm. It's Monday morning and we both have to go to school. We have to be there by 8:30, but I have to stop to get clothes from home. I look over at Katniss and she looks up at me. She stretches her neck and gives me a long kiss. I've waited years for this moment. Waking up naked next to Katniss. She rolls out of bed and turns her alarm off. It says it's 6am. She ties her dressing gown around her body and looks at me. "I'm going for a shower, you coming?" she says with a cheeky grin. I smile and roll out of bed. I pull my briefs on and follow her out the door.

When we get to the bathroom, she takes off her dressing gown and hangs it up. She turns on the water and gets in. I'm amazed at how comfortable she is. I take off my underwear and join her. The water is perfect temperature. Katniss is standing directly under the stream of water and I stand next to her. I've never showered with someone else before. I watch as the hot water runs down her naked body. She runs her fingers through her wet hair and looks at me with a smile. She wipes the water from her eyes and pulls me under the water. She wraps her arms around my neck as she kisses me. My hands run down her sides and I squeeze her cheeks. I pull her body into mine and I can feel myself getting hard again. "Peeta, I can barely walk already." She says when she notices.

"I can't help it." I say back in defence.

"I know" she says with a cheeky smile on her face. She turns around and gets out of the shower. I give myself a quick wash and turn the water off. Katniss hands me a towel and I pat myself dry. I've gone soft again and I can now wrap my towel around me. I grab my briefs and follow Katniss back to her room. As I get dressed I watch her put on her school uniform. She braids her hair and packs her things. I must have been distracted from watching her because I only have my pants on by the time she's finished. "You finish getting ready. I'll be out there." She says as she gives me a peck on the lips and walks past me. When I'm finished getting dressed I walk out and find Katniss in the living room. Annie and Prim are already awake and are on the sofa. "Thank you so much Annie" Katniss says as she walks back over to me. "Ready to go?" she asks me.

"Yep." I say back to her. We walk down stairs and head towards my house. It's not a very far walk from Katniss' to my house. I only have to go to get my school uniform and my things. As we're walking, Katniss surprises me by interlocking her fingers with mine. I still can't believe she wants to hold my hand, let alone have sex with me. It feels like a dream of which I never want to wake up. When I get to my house, we go to my room. Everyone is still asleep except for my dad. He's up getting ready to open the bakery. I get changed into my school uniform and pack the things I'll need for the day. By the time I'm ready, it's 8:15. We walk to school hand in hand and get there just before class starts. "See you at lunch?" I ask her. She smiles and nods before she gives me a quick kiss.


	8. The Eighth Chapter

**Katniss POV**

The day seems to be slow and agonising. I can't focus on anything. All I can think about is Peeta. I can't believe I had sex with him last night. I always knew losing my virginity would hurt. But it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. There were two sides. The stretching hurt a lot. Peeta is pretty big so it probably hurt more than it should have. But I was completely overcome with the pleasure of doing it with him. I could feel his hands roaming my body and hear him panting and moaning in my ear. The butterflies grew bigger and bigger with every second. I am completely head over heels in love with that boy. I only saw him briefly at lunch. He looked over to me from across the room and smiled. Then he was dragged out by his friends. When school finishes, I walk to the gym to find Gale. He's talking to Madge when I walk up to him. "Hey" Madge says to me as I walk up next to her.

"Hey" I say back. "Why are you here?" I ask curiously.

"I have nothing better to do, so I'm going to watch you guys." She answers. We all go and get changed and start our stretches. Madge sits next to me and talks. When I go to stretch my inner thighs I wince in pain. I had forgotten how much pain I was in. Madge seemed to notice my almost silent cry. "What happened?" she asked me concerned. There is no way I am telling her what I did last night. It is none of her business.

"Nothing." I say as I try a different stretch. We sit silently for a few minutes before she suddenly inhales sharply.

"Oh my god! Did you...?" I can see her proud smile. She's obviously clicked on to what's happened.

"No, shut up." I say quickly. Last thing I want is for Gale to hear.

"You totally did! Tell me everything!" she said. I hush her as I pull her away from my group.

"Shut up, I don't want Gale knowing." I say to her.

"Who? When? Was it good?" she asks me with obvious excitement.

"Oh for fucks sake, Madge." I say with a slight laugh. "Do I have to?" I say hoping she'll let it go. I know she won't though.

"Yes! Tell me!"

"Um… Peeta… last night and yes. Okay that's enough, let's get back to the group." I say trying to walk away. She grabs my arms and yanks me back.

"Peeta…Mellark?" she asks me.

"Yes, Peeta Mellark" I say with frustration.

"Oh my god Katniss! Isn't he a virgin?"

I can't help but giggle a bit when I reply. "He _was_." She laughs. "Please don't tell anyone." I ask her.

"Fine." She says back. We walk back over to my archery group and start practice. I shoot everything in my path in a record time. I avoid Gale as much as I can. He doesn't seem to be trying to talk to me. He probably thinks I'm mad at him. Which I usually am. When we finish practice, I go inside to get changed. When I get into the hall I see some of Peeta's wrestling team talking to him. Most of them have gone home already. As I get closer I can tell they haven't seen me. I hear that they're saying things like 'Too bad she'll never love an ugly piece of shit like you'. It's not until I hear one of them say 'You have no chance with Everdeen. She just got hot. Every guy in school wants a piece of that ass' that I realise who they're talking about. The thought makes me sick. I told Peeta not to tell anyone about us. I wish I hadn't said that. The boy's backs are facing me and I catch Peeta's eye through their shoulders. His eyes are full of sadness and I can't stand it. I give him a cheeky smile and bite my lip as I start walking over to him. The look in his eyes goes from sad to amused as I get closer to him. I push the boys to the side so that I can get to Peeta and pull him into an open mouthed kiss. I feels good to have his lips on mine again. I feel Peeta smile and I return it. I pull back to turn around to look at the boys that were harassing Peeta.

I grab Peeta's hand and walk out the door. "I'm sorry." I say to Peeta as soon as we exit the room.

"It's fine. People had to find out eventually." He says with a laugh. I'm so happy he's not mad.

"I know, but we weren't meant to tell anyone." I intertwine my fingers with his and we walk towards the school exit.

**Peeta POV**

It was a pretty long week. Slowly, everyone found out about Katniss and me. I found it hilarious when people saw us kiss and I heard their surprise. I haven't had any alone time with Katniss since we first got together. Tomorrow being Saturday, we both have work. Which is great because I get to spend some time with my girlfriend.

By the time I wake up in the morning, it's nearly 9. Shit. My alarm didn't go off. I quickly put on some clothes and run to the bakery. I'm late for work. I walk in and go straight to the back. I see Katniss already here and she's trying to knead some bread. I quietly walk up behind her and place my hands on her hips. She jumps at my touch. She turns around to face me. "You scared me." She says trying to wipe flour off her face. I lean in and press my lips to hers. Every time I kiss her it's like kissing her for the first time.

"Let me show you" I say as I pull away. She turns around to face the bench and I stand behind her. I knead the dough while I kiss her neck. I can't wait until the day is finished.

We spend the whole day trying to keep our hands off each other. When my father comes to the kitchen to tell us that we're finished, relief floods through my body. "Go to Katniss'. I've been watching you two today. Looks like you've been restraining yourself quite a bit. I'll make up some excuse for your mother."

"Dad, that's gross. But thank you." I can't believe my father just gave me permission to go have sex. The gross part is that he noticed. Katniss takes quick advantage of this opportunity and grabs my hand.

"Thanks Sam" she says as she pulls me out of the shop front. We walk at a steady pace all the way back to Katniss' house. It looks like she's just as eager as I am. We walk through her front door and upstairs to her bedroom. As we pass the living room, Johanna is sitting there looking at us. We just storm through the room. I heard Johanna laugh behind me and I can't help but laugh myself.

**Katniss POV**

I walk into my bedroom and close the door behind me. I stand with my back pressed against the door and Peeta pushes his body up against mine. His tongue invades my mouth and I return the gesture. I've waited all week to get Peeta alone. Not just for sex, but because I can be myself around him.

My hands find their way to the hem of his shirt and I pull it up over his head. I drop his shirt on the floor beside us as our lips crash together again. Bit by bit, we strip each other of clothing until my naked body is pressed up against the door with Peeta's pushing up against me. I move my hands gently up his neck and grab his hair. His hands slide from my hips to my thighs and he pulls me up so I can wrap my legs around him. I smile into the kiss as I feel how hard he's gotten. My hand slowly travels down his neck and over his chest until it rests on what I'm looking for. I wrap my hand around it and guide it into me. I throw my head back in pleasure as his length goes deeper into my body.

Peeta kisses my neck as he pumps in and out of me. Involuntary moans escape my mouth as he picks up the pace. I have never felt this good in my life. My hand goes from his shoulder to his arm and I grip it tight. The core of my body starts to heat up and take control. Every inch of my body starts to shudder and a loud moan creeps from my lips. My body contracts and I bury my head in the crook of Peeta's neck. I bite the spot where his neck meets his shoulder and I feel him throb inside of me. He moans and whispers my name as he climaxes.

Our lips find their way back to their partners and we just kiss. Peeta stands there, holding me in his arms until we have to move. He slides out of me and helps me to the floor. My head is still spinning but he holds me around the waist so I don't fall. We walk over to my bed and climb under the covers. He pulls me into his chest and wraps his arms around me. I feel so complete with Peeta. Just as I'm about to fall asleep I hear him whisper 'I love you Katniss. I always have and I always will. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Through the good and the bad. If you'll allow it."

I'm not sure how I manage it, but I say almost straight away "I'll allow it"


	9. Epilogue

**Katniss POV**

The first thing I see when I wake up is the sun shining through the white curtains. I look around the unfamiliar room that I'm in and I remember what today is. Today is the day I become Mrs Mellark. If I'm being honest, the name doesn't sound that great to me, knowing how horrible Peeta's mother was but I won't just be Mrs Mellark. I'll be Mrs Peeta Mellark. I will get to spend the rest of my life with that man that I love. I stretch my arms up and take in a deep breath before I roll out of bed. The soft carpet under my feet tickles when I walk but I get a feeling it's not the only thing making me giggly. Nothing on this day could possibly ruin it. It's just gone eight am and my wedding starts at 6. Prim and Annie talked me into getting pampered today and of course with Prim begging, I relented. I'm not entirely sure when they plan on showing up but I know it will be soon. I decide to jump in the shower before they get anywhere near me.

It's almost nine by the time they make it to my room. "KATNISS!" Prim screams in her overly excited voice. "KATNISS YOU'RE GETTING MARRDIED TODAY!" I can't help but smile at my baby sister. She's possibly more excited than even I am. She is of course my maid of honour so she immediately took on the role of ring leader. She's the one that organized this whole beauty for the bride day bullshit. Honestly I think it's obvious to everyone that I'm not into it but you only get married once right? Well hopefully anyway.

After hours of facials, massages, _calming _music, and of the apparently obvious manicure and pedicure, I'm finally ready for my hair and make-up. I had no idea so much work went into making brides pretty. I always thought they just looked like that. But here I am on my wedding day hours of beautifying done and still hours to go. Primrose organized everything. She hired a small group of people called_ The Stylists_ to do my hair and make-up. Honestly I thought they would be exactly how they are. Loud, I'm kind of grateful for them making so much noise though. Because it means I don't have to.

At exactly five thirty I am ready to get into my dress. It's simple. Just a plain white satin dress with spaghetti straps and that hangs below my knee. I like it. I didn't want too much. I only wanted a small wedding in reality but Peeta has too many friends and cousins from all around the world. Before I know it, I'm standing at the back of the meadow about to walk down the aisle. The sky is almost Peeta's favourite colour when I finally step out onto the grass. I hear the music start to play as I look ahead at prim in her simple blue summer dress. My eyes keep moving forward until they land on Peeta. His hair is curled over his eyes just like when we were teenagers. His suit fits him absolutely perfect. And his smile. When I see his smile, the whole world disappears, nothing matters except me and him. I keep my eyes locked on his until I reach the alter. I hadn't even realised I was crying until he reached forward to wipe away a lone tear. I can feel my heart beating in my chest and I know this is the right decision. He is mine. I am his. Forever. After a few short words I am officially his wife. I smile as I feel the warmth of his lips touch mine. Knowing his kiss is the one that seals or fate. The kiss that bonds us together. When he pulls away he whispers in my ear something that I don't quite catch because all of our guests have started applauding. We turn towards them with our hands in one an others. Smiling proud.

That night when we finally make it back to our hotel room, he pulls me close to him. "Katniss, after seven years of being with you and seventeen years of being in love with you, I can now finally call you my wife. I love you." Before I have a chance to respond his lips are on mine. I feel his fingers on the back of my dress, undoing it. I slide my hands over his shoulders to remove his jacket and I start kissing his neck. Once we're both naked, he sets me down on the bed. The way his hungry eyes roam over my body sends a thrill through me. His eyes stop on the single pearl necklace. It was his grandmothers. His father gave it to me before the wedding. Peeta's eyes continue to roam until they land on mine. "You're beautiful" he says before he crawls up the bed and claims my lips with his. I feel his length pushing against me and I let out a small moan. I need this to happen.

I move my mouth away from his and look his in the eye. "Please?" I beg him. He smiles and he slides into me. My eyes roll to the back of my head. I've missed this feeling so much. The room is filled with soft moans and the sweet slapping sounds of our bodies, as I feel myself beginning to spasm around him I lock my eyes with his and we finish together. Never breaking eye contact. I've never felt this much love for one person.

As we're falling asleep together that night, me curled up in my husband's arms, I finally realise what he whispered to me. In the silence I reply with the same word.

"Always."


End file.
